Advent Treats

A few posts ago I wrote about this advent box my daughter gave me.

24 little boxes full of lovely treats. I had only opened 4 at the time 

so here are all the gifts

2 flannels; pretty little heart shaped lavender soaps; hand cream; hand wash lotion; cuticle oil; three bars of lovely  smelling soap, four little tins of lip balm; a pretty shopping trolley coin

milk chocolate stirrers for adding to hot milk for a chocolate drink. I've used one and it was delicious, for the remaining one I'm going to get some squirty cream and mini marshmallows.

and lots of chocolates, which of course I have eaten :-)

∼ Stay warm and well ∼

Polly x

Christmas

Merry Christmas to ewe

Tower Gardens Westminster

Seasons Greetings

Happy Holiday

Many of us have had our holiday plans cancelled.

Thankfully, with the help of technology we will be able to see and talk to our loved ones

on Christmas day. 

However you're spending the holiday season I hope you will be happy and healthy.

💖  Stay warm and well 💖

Polly x

Capricorn December 22nd - January 19th

Miss Claire Voyant's horoscope for Capricorn

Sharing your Capricorn birthday with Kate Middleton, Michelle Obama, Martin Luther King, Dolly Parton and a few million others.

A bit about the personality

The last earth sign of the zodiac, Capricorn is represented by the sea goat, a mythological creature with the body of a goat and tail of a fish. Accordingly, they are skilled at navigating both the material and emotional realms.  Capricorns are hard working and will never give up. Their inner fortitude motivates them to achieve their goals, never letting anything distract them from getting ahead, and they never let themselves off the hook. If the 12 signs were given that toddler test about eat the sweet now or wait and get two sweets... guess who'd be a winner? Right. Capricorn could sit there for years if they thought this was a battle of wills with a tangible reward. This single minded focus can come across as being cold and unemotional, and a little obsessive. If they do let themselves off their own lead, they have a tendency to go a teensy bit wild...

They can be overly serious, critical, melancholy, suspicious, sensitive and unforgiving. Never mock or undermine a Capricorn, they have zero tolerance when it comes to being made fun of, it's a sin that won't be forgotten and they will hunt the perpetrator down.

Capricorns are classy, elegant, charming and compassionate. They are pure souls with hearts of gold, genuine and loyal, and no matter what it may entail, you can rely on a Capricorn to be there whenever help is needed.

Capricorn's Prediction

You’re quick to volunteer when people need assistance, but for now stop before you pitch in, the last thing you need right now is another obligation. Give yourself a break, let someone else pick up the reins, there are plenty of other equally dedicated helpers who can step up.  With a lunar lift elevating your ninth house of travel and adventure, you could get a serious case of cabin fever. While you may not be able to board a plane to a tropical retreat center, you can find ways to explore new scenery. For some feel good moments grab a friend and take a day trip to another town; walk round a local park finishing with a delicious hot chocolate drink sitting on a park bench, if you live near the coast, put some warm clothes on, take a picnic and find a shelter or bandstand to sit in and enjoy it whilst people watching. Think of it as an investment in your single most valuable asset: your sanity!

~ Be safe and well ~

Polly x

My Great Mince Pie Survey

Yes it's that time of year again, the one where I get to eat lots of mince pies in 

the name of market research :-)

I would like to add that I don't eat all of them, they are shared with my family!

Co-op only £1

Butter enriched pastry filled with spiced mincemeat and dusted with sugar.

Very nice tasty pastry, a tiny bit flaky but not crumbling to pieces. Nice tasty filling.

Tesco finest £1.75

 All butter pastry with cognac, brandy and port.

Absolutely delicious, tasty firm pastry with a lovely fruity boozy filling

Aldi £1.49

All butter classic mince pies with brandy and cognac.
Delicious, firm tasty pastry with a lovely fruity filling 

Co-op Irresistible £2

All butter pastry with a rich spiced fruit and brandy filling.

Pastry is a little bit crumbly but a very nice tasty pie.

Aldi 35p, yes that's correct just 35p reduced from 70p

Six deep filled mince pies. Shortcrust pastry with a mincemeat filling.

A basic mince pie, pastry is very flaky, but nevertheless a tasty pie.

For just under 6 pence each these were a bargain, but I did have bad indigestion later!

Morrisons £1.75

9 all butter pies with rich and fruity brandy-infused filling.

You can really taste the lovely butter pastry, nice filling. 

 Be warm and well  

Polly x

The Cotswolds

Designated as an area of outstanding beauty The Cotswolds is the name given to a huge area of beautiful countryside running through five counties - Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire.

As well as 800 square miles of beautiful countryside it has vibrant market towns, impressive churches, vast manor houses and picturesque villages built with beautiful honey coloured Cotswold stone. 

We visited three towns on our day trip in October. First stop was Cirencester.

After a look around the market, cathedral 

shops and an antique market we had worked up an appetite for lunch. M and I are great fans of fish and chips. Lots of places had it on the menu but then we just happened on the Malt and Anchor fish restaurant, and I'm glad we did. We both chose cod and twice cooked chips with peas. I opted for the smaller serving which was adequate for my appetite. It was excellent, food, service and value - highly recommended. They also offer a take away service. If I lived in Cirencester I would be a regular visitor 😋

Our next visit was to Bibury 

We had plenty of time to wander around this pretty village

described by William Morris as 'The most beautiful village in England'

St Mary's, a fine Saxon Church

Arlington row cottages was originally built in the 14th century as a monastic wool store. In the 17th century it was converted into a row of weavers' cottages. The cottages are lived in by tenants although you can book a holiday in number 9

Our final destination was Burford with its famous

High Street sweeping downhill towards the River Windrush.

The High street also has some lovely historic shops and houses on both sides.

This shop has signage advertising Early English oak furniture and other interesting objects!

We ended our day at Huffkins tea room.

We wanted a cream tea but they had run out of cream so we had a scone, jam and a lovely cup of tea. 

∼ Stay warm and well ∼

Polly x

A Good Read

The Ice Child by Camilla Läckberg 

January in the peaceful seaside resort of Fjällbacka. A semi-naked girl wanders through the woods in freezing cold weather. She stumbles into the road straight into the path of an oncoming car. The driver is unable to brake in time and the girl is killed. The post mortem reveals she has been subjected to unimaginably brutal horrific torture, and subsequent investigations reveal she went missing four months ago.

The police soon discover that three other girls are missing from nearby towns, but there are no fresh leads. When Patrik’s wife stumbles across a link to an old murder case, the detective is forced to see his investigation in a whole new light.

The story takes a while to progress, building a steady escalation of suspense. There are a lot of interconnected characters and some of them are very nasty, committing unspeakable atrocities.

It kept me guessing most of the time. I had figured out some historical facts but the ending was a complete ‘OMG I didn’t see that coming’.

∼ Happy Reading ∼

Polly x

Today should be a happy day, it's the day I should be on a plane to Singapore en route to Australia to spend Christmas with my darling daughter. As I write this we would have taken off and be somewhere over the English Channel, waving goodbye to the rain! The excitement I should be feeling has evaporated and left me feeling sad, angry, and a bit down.

I'm not feeling bah humbug but I'm not feeling any Christmas spirit. Although to be honest I haven't felt that for a few years now. My daughters are grown up, my grandson is 17, I'm not religious any more so Christmas is no longer a special magical time. I will still have a nice time though, with daughter, grandson and SIL. Some delicious food, nice wine, good films and quizzes.

Look what my other darling daughter bought for me, an advent box

24 little boxes of  delight

day 1 was beautifully scented soaps, day 2 was hand cream 

day 3 was three caramel chocolates and today was two malteser reindeers.

What a gorgeous thoughtful gift.

~ Be warm and well~

Polly x